August 2026 starters (Thread 2!)

[chocolatecoveredpretzels]

Hi everyone and thanks for the bestowed honour of starting the new thread, Puzzled!

It’s so lovely to have all of you along for the ride on here. Thanks for keeping me company! I love reading how things are going for you and being able to ask questions or share things.

Yesterday, I tried on a fleece top I bought last year. It fit me so snugly last year, I looked like a burst sausage in its casing. Now it’s actually loose. My rings are starting to feel a bit loose too- I wear my mum’s engagement and eternity rings and on the cold mornings, they’re starting to slip down my fingers.

I’m down 1.9kg this week and, although I’m still feeling hungry, it’s not an all-consuming hunger that leads to binging. I’ve actually needed to add more food as what I’ve eaten today and yesterday ended up being 1300 calories and 1100 calories. Given that my watch is still estimating approx 3000 calories burned on a typical day at school, I know I need at least 1600 to have enough oomph. Is anyone else finding the same?

I’ll link this thread in the old one so everyone can find their way here.

My check in this week, 1lb lost. I have been away visiting family, so not been eating as well but have been eating less volume. I got a bit complacent and thought that because I'd been swimming a lot I'd have lost more. Need to bring the focus back onto good nutrition this week.

I am just about in the 11stone bracket though, so I'm over the moon with that milestone.

I think like other PP I need to accept that even on a higher dose, the big losses of the early weeks are probably behind me. And I need to adjust my expectations to be happier with a steadier loss.

@chocolatecoveredpretzels - Yes - 100% about feeling the difference when bending down!!
I found myself bragging to my husband that I can now put my socks on now whilst standing up. Didn't think I'd ever be boasting about such a thing, but here we are. A win is a win!

SW 14 stone
CW 11 stone 13
GW 10 stone 7

Uh oh….. feeling very full again (and didn’t finish my dinner, nor did I have one of the occasional after dinner little extras I have some days)….. but also….. was that an ever so slightly sulphurous burp? Looks like my 2nd 4mg dose has given me noticeably more suppression, but also a new side effect!

Fairly minor so far, though. Let;so see how this pans out over the next few days.

Thanks for your support @chocolatecoveredpretzels @Mamatriesmounjaro @PuzzledObserver yes I lost a bit by myself so actually since starting mounjaro it's about 3 stone off for me, however everything has been thrown into confusion by weighing a stone heavier at the doctor's yesterday than I thought I was. It was just crushing, and yesterday evening I drank alcohol and left the kitchen a mess, two of my previous coping mechanisms (from when I wasn't coping). I know I should concentrate on the fact that the doctor said well done and yes I will need less antihypertensive medicine and no more beta blockers. I just wish I'd calibrated my stupid scales first!

I have to say, I don't understand your comment at all. Maybe as in Ireland, nobody gets it free and the way we get it is from a GP by getting prescription and paying for the medicine. It doesn't matter if you pay or you don't pay for it out of pocket - renewing prescription should be done only if it makes medical scene. No? If it is the medically sound advise GPs and prescribing pharmacy, if you are paying or not paying should come with same rules. What I am missing here, why the reference that you are paying and someone else is not?

I am keeping weekly stats and have details on expected (calorie deficit per week divided by 7700) and actual weight loss. Actual weight loss is not linear at all - but over time, it really evens out. Now, I do estimates often and I do weight and measure but as I have done it before I am confident I am doing it accurately enough to get results

However - I am not going to put myself through injectables just so land at state that I live on coke zero drip. Diet, based on whole foods and to me that's all fruit, vegetables, lean plain dairy, eggs, lean meat and fish, rice, potatoes, oats - moderate amount of olive oil is what my body runs well on. That's how I ate before 2020 when I got sick and gained weight. That's the life and way of eating I crave.

If your car runs on gas, you won't put petrol in. Eating a lot of UPFs impacts my weight, my ability to feel satisfied, my mood, my skin, the food noise. It does not support my long term health and wellbeing. And I am using the medication to help me wean myself out of habits and foods that brought me here.

Some people prefer moderations, and to be honest I do also try to moderate but I don't at all think calorie is calorie.

One of the talks I was listening to had something along the lines of - you are Lamborghini that was left out in the rain and fed the wrong fuel, in bad need of attention, good clean up, some pampering and the right fuel. But you are still Lamborghini

If I had Lamborghini (I would sell it and buy something less flash!) I wouldn't neglect it or put sand in the fuel and expect it to run smoothly.

I feel the medication has allowed me to sober up and free myself from UPF food induced cravings and booms and busts and I treasure the peace.

by the way, I have ate very simply most of the time and even on meds - the only thing that I really missed was coke zero. It is very addictive to me at least. Happy to be done with it - it's not good fuel for me.

that's my loss table. Either the check is in the mail or it's payback time but it is insanely spot on over time. You can see the initial rush, that what I have earned is way less then what I lost (middle column). You can see on holiday I even gained a little I felt I should have lost - but over the 9 weeks (1 more day to go) the expected loss based on calorie deficit is remarkably close/same as the actual loss.

I use fitbit to get my calorie burn, and my fitness pal to track calories. The priced loss takes the deficit for the week, and divides it to 7700. I fully expect after the first 10/12 weeks to be little bit out of sync but not more then 10/20%. The loss does not come up on the scale evenly so you can have no loss on the scale but the body will release the weight when it's ready to - if I have had the deficit.

I am no longer obese!

you actually have to click on the photo to see the last row - but both add up to 10.6kg predicted, and 10.6 actual.

I am a number person, I am not recommending anyone else do this

Whoop whoop, I have dropped under 90kg 🥳 Perhaps giving away a considerable portion of my blood volume yesterday is a contributory factor, perhaps not 👀😂 Even if I discount that though, a unit is only about 500g, so it's not making a huge difference. Certainly not a long-term one, as I will of course regain that over the next few weeks. I really didn't feel that I was getting anywhere this week, so 1.6kg down has been a surprise this morning.

I highly recommend giving blood, if you're eligible. I've been going regularly for years: 42 units now! My grandmother was a regular donor, and it feels good to follow her example. I have the same blood type she did and everything ❤️

Start: 97.8kg
Now: 89.6kg
(Change this week: -1.6kg. Total change: -8.2kg)

@MiaN and @Anseranser celebrating with you on your respective milestones! It feels good, doesn’t it?

I had a somewhat uncomfortable night again, and yes I have developed sulphur burps, and felt very full and bloated. Considerably better in the morning after things….. moved…. In the digestive arena.

So I’ve been reading up about why sulphur burps happen and how to reduce them. Have picked up a few tips. Hopefully they are easing off now, so at the moment I am thinking I will stick with the same dose on Sunday and see if it happens again, hopefully it will wear off and then I can stay on this dose as long as it’s effective. My weight loss is moving along nicely and trendweight tells me I should reach 12 stone in early December and my 11 stone goal in mid-February.

SW 97
W1-2.5kg
W2-2.4kg
W3-1.3kg
W4-0.9kg
W5-0.9kg
W6+0.2kg - holiday
W7-0.5kg
W8-0.9kg
W9-1.4kg
CW-86.4kg

I will get myself a treat for reaching milestone. I am 190lbs so next milestones are under 180 and then back to kg, a big one is the under 80kg. I need to book follow up with gp too to check bloods and get script. He will be happy!

Well done everyone on their recent losses. Some great motivational posts which really do make all the difference.
Well that was a stubborn lb to lose. I've watched it creep down by .1 or .2 slowly over the last 2 weeks. This morning when there was .1 to go it dropped .9, so almost down another whole lb! (for today at least).
Milestone weight today as now at a comfortable weight last seen 7 years ago, before menopause, inactivity and too many treats caused a steady gain.
A little further to reach my goal, but it's great when some clothes fit nicely again that haven’t for so long.
Loving the numbers @MiaN and hope the sulphur burps calm down @PuzzledObserver

Thanks, @FeelingALittleStrangeToday - yes, they had worn off by the middle of yesterday. I had a bit of a tummy ache when I woke this morning, but that passed before long.

I have done my new gym workout for the 2nd time this morning. A lot of grunting and did t quite manage all the reps on everything… which means I’m working in the right range and my muscles will respond, so long as I keep on lobbing protein at them. Onwards!

Now, I’m not exactly proud of this, but there are several new arrivals at my gym who I’ve seen being shown round or doing their new workouts with card in hand. Big women, and I look at them with satisfaction and think: I used to be bigger than you, but now I’m smaller than you.

Could you send lots of ideas for breakfast lunch and dinner please?

@Sunnyskiesa have you fixed on a particular eating approach?

We are advised to prioritise protein and fibre, but beyond that it’s down to personal preference. Most on here count calories. I use a low carb, real food approach with intermittent fasting, so I never eat between meals. But some people include snacks as part of their day, as long as it’s within their calorie limit.

I’m happy to tell you the kind of thing I eat, if you’re interested.

I’m starting to think about my tapering strategy. A bit early, I know, but hear me out.

Although I do have a goal weight, metabolic markers are much more important. I have 4 goals for those, here they are:

• Waist circumference: minimum goal is half my height (85cm), ideal goal is under 80cm
• Body fat percentage: minimum goal is under 33%, ideal goal is under 30%
• Visceral fat: minimum goal is under 8, ideal goal is under 6
• HbA1C: minimum goal is under 40, ideal is under 33.

HbA1C is a lab test which measures average blood glucose over the preceding 2-3 months which the NHS will only do once a year for me. I can get it done privately at a cost of £43, but there’s no point doing it more often than quarterly. It’s much cheaper to do finger prick blood tests, and given the way Mounjaro works, I am likely to see rises in my fasting BG quite quickly if I withdraw Mounjaro and my own metabolism is not coping. So I plan on using fasting BG as the canary in the coal mine, along with weight.

Here’s my plan:

1. Continue with Mounjaro, until the minimum goal for waist circumference, body fat and visceral fat are all met.

2. At that point, get an HbA1C done and start monitoring fasting BG, while maintaining same dose of Mounjaro for 2-4 weeks. Loosely expect weight loss to continue during that time. Establish base line correspondence between fasting BG and HbA1C. Repeat HbA1C after 4-6 months to get 2nd data point on correspondence between HbA1C and fasting BG, to determine what fasting BG target needs to be going forward.

3. Reduce Mounjaro dose by 0.5mg and continue monitoring BG and weight for 4 weeks.

4. If both are stable or falling, reduce dose again. If either is rising, maintain current dose for another 4 weeks.

5. If rise continues in subsequent 4 weeks, revert to previous dose. Otherwise, maintain current dose.

6. If further weight loss occurs and BG remains stable, consider reducing dose again. Repeat from Step 3 until EITHER have found minimum effective dose for maintenance, OR have stopped altogether.

In essence, I am expecting that the slow taper will allow further reduction in weight AND improvement in metabolic markers. So I will hopefully get at least part way towards the ideal numbers on several of the markers, even if I don’t make it for all.

PS - I have already met the minimum for waist circumference. Current stats are:

waist: 83cm
body fat: 37%
visceral fat: 9
HbA1C: was 45 in January on no meds, would be a lot less now due to both MJ and further weight loss.
Fasting BG - was in the mid 4’s (very good) a month or so ago using a continuous glucose monitor. But they are expensive to use on an ongoing basis, so I am going to get some test strips for my meter and go back to finger pricking 2-3 times a week.

And I suppose the final thing to say is: what this means for the weight I finally end up at, I have no idea.

I've been thinking about this too @PuzzledObserver and I find your approach interesting and some things to think about re measuring what truly matters. Is like to be able to measure my visceral fat - how do you do that?

I have six monthly abdomen ultrasounds to monitor a condition I have and they always check my liver fat there. There was no reduction in my one last week, but he said MJ was one of the best treatments for it, even outside of weight loss so that's encouraging.

I am planning on being on MJ for a minimum of two years after I reach my goal to allow my body to reset to a new metabolic baseline. Tbh with some of the research coming out about it lowering dementia risk and helping with other conditions I'm half expecting I'll stay on it for life as I can't risk getting this big again and doing this all over again.

Breakfasts for me are usually: soy yogurt with chia seeds, blackberries and raspberries/ porridge with soy milk and mixed berries (with flax and chia usually), scrambled tofu on sour dough

Lunch: tofu and chickpea flour omelette with veggies and salad/ tofu on toast/ butterbean spread and salad wraps/ homemade soup and sourdough

Dinner: stir frys, soups, pasta, curries etc

I drink 1.5litres of electrolytes a day and 1.5 litres of water, one oat cappuccino and a ginger tea

I don't count calories and never will, it's very triggering for me.

I have not thought about stopping mounjaro yet, I really value the head space and I dont want the food noise back. I still have 3 stones to go too. Long way!

I will go up at dose as slow as I can, currently on 4.

If I have to be on it long term, hopefully it isn't on high dose

Does anyone else love jab day? I love jab day. I have so much appreciation to the peace this medication is bringing to my life

@Mamatriesmounjaro My gym has a bio impedance scale called Boditrax which sends an electric current through your bare feet and hand grips. It uses an algorithm to work out the amount of fat, muscle and other stuff in different parts of the body. It’s not as accurate as a Dexa scan, it it’s considerably more accurate than the scale I have at home, which doesn’t have the handgrips. This is a comfort to me, cause my home scale says my body fat is 5-6% higher. Apparently it’s algorithm doesn’t cope well with tummy aprons, that makes it overestimate fat.

@MiaN Yes, I love jab day too! I get quite excited when I’m going through all the steps to prepare the pen. And then I think - yay, that’s my MJ on board, it will be helping me with my appetite and metabolism for the next 7 days.

I am in a slight different position as I am back on MJ to finish where I left off s year ago when suply and pricing went odd.

I lost over 20kg. But still had 10 -15 to go.

My losses thus time are way more steady. And I am OK with that. I know I am in deficit, and thus time I am following an exercise plan.

Having tracked starter groups for 6 months before I started the first time, been on a starter group from the first time, and tracked restarter groups I can honestly say no two people's experiences seem the same. Some lose loads very quickly, some more slowly, some expect MJ to do all of the lifting, some see it as an aide, some have no side effects, some have mild and some really bad. For those losing fast (unless they are in massive unsustainable calorie deficit) MJ is clearly doing more for them than it does for others. Which is no supeise. No other weight loss aide sees % losses seen with these injections.

My goal this time is to go a good distance toward shifting the fat remaining. Mosty sitting on bely and muffin. I am using as a tool to kick start that, and put in place good habits around food and exercise. I am trying not to focus too much on the kg number, but I am tracking x2 per week as I iintend to do that religiously going forward...it is the only way to stop the weight creeping back on.

I am watching what I eat and I am in deficit (apart from my 10 day holiday). But I can't and don't want to go too low in order to see faster losses on the scales.

Exercise is going to be key for me going forward and thankfully I found a gym in the summer that works really well for me. Weight based small group training x3 per week. Seeing a great effect from that already.

I still intend to only buy a max of 3 more pens. Though thus may become 4 in order to work back down. Just taken 1st dose from 3rd pen.

Keep focus on your goals everyone.

Oops typos - should have had specs on sorry!

I can relate to that " But I can't and don't want to go too low in order to see faster losses on the scales."

Because I am tracking calories, I know what my deficit is and I don't want to eat any less. I use this as sign to stay on current dose too, I will only move if I start struggling creating deficit of at least 20%. It's bigger currently without much of a struggle so I am not going to rush to higher doses.

I noticed it's very individual, and me having been on Ozempic - this time is so different. So the different options can suit or not suit a person too. However, I had terrible side effects with very little loss

I am not going to stress over any form of exercise today. My period arrived after skipping a month (it happened once more this year, pre mounjaro) and I feel drained and sleepy. I was secretly hoping that this will be me done forever to be honest but at age of 48 I probably have few more years of it.

I’ve been out with our walking group today and had one of those conversations which turned annoying. It started off with someone saying I looked amazing, I’d lost so much weight. Then she asked if it was difficult. So I said the most difficult part for me was changing my mindset around food, that I had completely changed my way of thinking and therefore my eating habits (gave her some examples). Then said that got me a long way and I felt much, much better, but my weight had settled at about the point where I was on the borderline of obese (you’re not!) she said for about a year. (No, I’m not now, but I was until 8 weeks ago)

This is where it went a bit off piste. I continued by saying that because of my health (type 2 diabtes) I would benefit from further weight loss, so I had made the decision to start using MJ. Her next question was whether I’d had any difficulty with it… I got the sense she was a bit disapproving, which was compounded when she told me to make sure I didn’t go too far and end up looking like Sharon Osbourne.

The thing that annoys me…. Well, two things. First is - people in the walking group had got used to the smaller me post lifestyle change because I was fairly stable for a year. The “you look great” comments had tailed off, to be replaced with an occasional “how are you finding it to maintain your weight”. But now the “Gosh you’ve lost a lot of weight, you look fantastic comments” have started again, and that must be because the further weight loss with MJ is noticeable. They think I look great! Until I tell them I’m on the jabs (which I see no reason to hide), then all of a sudden they’re concerned. No, to be fair, I’ve told two people, the first was curious, only the second was judgy.

And the other thing that annoys me is: I have a clear, worked out strategy and set of goals, which have to do with health markers. Not the number on the scale, and not appearance. But some random person’s opinion of how I look is supposed to be more important than objective health metrics?

Nuh uh.

I am going to hit those metabolic goals. If it is physically possible for me to do, that is. However much weight I have to lose to do it, and even if some people think I’ve gone to far. If it happens that the health improvement tails off and further weight loss is no longer improving it, then I will accept that and focus on maintaining. Or if I get objectively to too low a weight, or I start to feel lacking in energy, or if I don’t like the way I look.

But those options aside - I’m going all the way, baby.